Throughout the course of the College Basketball season, each game impacts a team’s NCAA Tournament resume. Whether it’s with a notable win against a top team or a bad loss against a lesser opponent, every game has meaning to it. Tonight, the Ohio State basketball team has a great opportunity to add an early signature win to its tournament resume when it takes on Nebraska.
It doesn’t happen every day that a top-15 team in the country takes a visit to Columbus, and you wouldn’t expect that team to be Nebraska either, but they are legit. The Cornhuskers hold the nation's longest winning streak dating back to last season at 18 games, and they’ve beaten some solid teams so far this season as well.
When comparing resumes for the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee loves to utilize the NET rankings. Nebraska is currently 11th in the NET, and they’re 3-0 in the ever-so-important Quad 1 games. They have four wins against teams in the top 51 of the NET rankings, including Oklahoma, Creighton, at Illinois, and most recently against Michigan State.
Here’s why tonight’s matchup with Nebraska is important for Ohio State: The Buckeyes currently rank 43rd in the NET and are 0-2 in Quad 1 games so far this season. This game against the Cornhuskers is a Q1 opportunity, and Ohio State needs to start adding to the win column for this category to help build its case for an at-large bid.
This is where we’ve seen Ohio State struggle in this run of missed NCAA Tournaments, with not having enough notable wins on their resume, convincing the selection committee. A win tonight vs a top-15 team can give them a little cushion compared to other potential bubble teams.
This is a good spot for Ohio State to be catching Nebraska in as well. The Cornhuskers are fresh off a high-intensity, physical, and emotional win over a tough Michigan State team. Now they’re catching them on a quick turnaround at home, and it’s never easy to win on the road, especially in conference play.
The Buckeyes take on Nebraska at the Schott tonight at 6:30 pm EST. A win here for the Ohio State basketball team will give them a significant boost in trying to end that NCAA Tournament drought.